A matter of elegance and ability, not age

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Forever young ... Lisa Bolte is enjoying dancing again and would like a company within the Australian Ballet for older dancers.Photo: Jon Reid

Nerves were the biggest obstacles to Lisa Bolte returning to the
stage, writes Sharon Verghis.

For a moment, Lisa Bolte looks faintly ill. Her freckles jump
out like full stops and her small face takes on a squishy,
small-animal-in-the-headlights expression.

It's the memory of that eternity in the wings last month at
Melbourne's State Theatre just before she was to step out on stage
in her first major role since her retirement two years ago. "I have
never been so physically sick," she says, softly but emphatically.
"Never."

Happily, there were no pratfalls to report. Instead, there was
nothing but warm praise from critics for her performance as the
capricious tree-dwelling sylph in the Australian Ballet's
season-opening production of La Sylphide . The Age
hailed Bolte's interpretation as "teasingly naive" and wonderfully
beguiling. Others were equally glowing about her lustre, elegance
and "affecting pathos".

"Thank God," she says fervently, inserting a heartfelt pause
between the two words when I mention this chorus of praise. It is a
measure of how much pressure - albeit self-imposed - the former
principal dancer, 38, has been under in the lead-up to her first
major performance with the company since her retirement in 2002 to
have daughter Olivia. In an artform where a couple of missed
classes can be cause for concern, her two-year absence represented
an aeon. Then there's the matter of her age. In ballet's other
brutal time scale, it makes her practically Paleolithic.

But things have been unfolding surprisingly smoothly for the
dancer since artistic director David McAllister opened the door for
her return, first in a part as Lady Capulet in the Australian
Ballet's 2003 production of Romeo and Juliet, and now in
this principal role in the company's staging of August
Bournonville's 1836 romantic classic, opening at the Opera House
tomorrow.

Things have been helped, she says modestly, by a gratifyingly
resilient body, experience performing the same role in 1996 and
1989 with the company, and, for this performance, coaching from the
Royal Danish Ballet's Bournonville tutor, Johnny Eliason.

Watching Bolte in class leaves you in no doubt about age not
being necessarily wearying. That 38-year-old frame folds fluidly
into the origami shapes ordered by ballet mistress Noelle Shader.
The long, skinny feet move nimbly. She seems more comfortable in
her skin, her moves sharper and cleaner, than many of her younger
compatriots. It's as if her core of gravity is denser, her stance
more grounded, leaving her free to concentrate on expression rather
than just technique.

If ever there was an argument for encouraging ballet dancers to
continue performing well after the accepted age, this dancer is it.
Bolte welcomes the growing proliferation of companies set up to
showcase the older dancer (see below), and would like to see a
similar set-up to the Netherlands Dance Theatre 3 at the Australian
Ballet for dancers over 40.

The company's busy performance schedule and the fact it travels
from its Melbourne base for up to six months a year could prove
tricky, but nevertheless, there have already been talks about the
idea, Bolte says. "I think it could happen if you get the funding
and infrastructure and choreography and timing issues right. It
would also depend if there was demand from the audience for
it."

The emergence of a company such as co.loaded, the Perth-based
ensemble set up to showcase mature dancers, is a heartening sign
that such initiatives are workable. While many retired dancers are
happy to forge full-time careers as Pilates or yoga instructors,
airline stewardesses and dance teachers, others, like Bolte, would
like to see opportunities to work on a part-time basis,
particularly if it meant taking on one or two performances a year
in roles choreographed for them. "I think it's a great idea," she
says of co.loaded. "It would be good to have something like the
fantastic system they have over in Europe [for older dancers]."

It's a tricky question: so when exactly are you too old to
dance? Rudolf Nureyev, who kept dancing long after he should have
retired, is the caveat sounded by those who want to see dancers
retire by a certain age.

But others point to the waste of experience and talent this
creates, citing the likes of Galina Ulanova, Natalya Dudinskaya and
Maya Plisetskaya, who danced well past the usual cut-off date; the
virtuoso performances of Alicia Markova, who danced until she was
about 52; Alicia Alonso and Margot Fonteyn, who said one should be
in her 40s to begin to portray Juliet.

Ballet is a brutal discipline, with no room for frailty. But as
long as you are dancing well, Bolte feels, why not extend your
stage life if the opportunities are there? For the moment, she is
focusing on making the most of her return to the stage, and speaks
warmly of McAllister's encouragement and support. She is coy when
asked if she's considering doing more work with the Australian
Ballet this year, saying only there have been "talks" about it.

"It's just a wonderful feeling doing ballet class again, and
dancing and being back and working with the other dancers," she
says softly. "I'm enjoying myself immensely."

Maturity required

Co.loaded: A West Australian company launched
this year by veteran dancers Margrete Helgeby and Stefan Carlsson
to showcase dancers over 40.Netherlands Dance Theatre 3: Critically acclaimed
ensemble set up in 1991 as part of the Nederlands Dance Theatre and
comprising dancers over 40.
From Here to Maturity: A British company of former
professional dancers, drawn from the Royal Ballet, Cloud Gate Dance
Theatre and other companies, and set up in 2000 by former Rambert
dancer Ann Dickie. The dancers range in age from 45 to 74.Next Stage Dance Theatre: A Seattle-based company
co-founded by Dominique Gabella and Bridget Thompson in 1999 and
composed entirely of dancers over 35.Ballet: The Daring Project: A New York company
founded by ballerina Valentina Kozlova and choreographer Margo
Sappington in 1995. It draws dancers from New York City Ballet,
American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet, and
regularly makes use of older dancers.The Dancers Over 40, Inc, and 40 Up: Two New York
companies featuring mature dancers.